The election campaign for U.S. President Joe Biden’s re-election has begun to rebrand and reorganize under Vice President Kamala Harris’s leadership following Biden’s withdrawal from the candidacy. Harris is reportedly preparing for the campaign by meeting with political figures.
According to CNN, the Biden campaign, established for the upcoming November election, submitted a request to change its campaign name to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). In the application, they stated that the campaign name would change to “Harris for President,” declaring, “The 2024 presidential candidate is now U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.” The campaign team explained, “From now on, we will proceed with the election campaign for Harris’s victory.” On the same day, the Democratic National Committee also resubmitted updated documents to the FEC reflecting Harris’s candidacy.
CNN reported that the Biden campaign had raised $96 million in campaign funds by the end of June, suggesting that Harris would soon have access to those funds. Trevor Potter, chairman of the non-partisan election finance watchdog Campaign Legal Center, stated, “If Harris is nominated as the Democratic presidential or vice-presidential candidate, considering she is part of the same campaign as Biden, both Harris and her running mate can use the existing Biden campaign funds.”
Although Biden was the only remaining candidate in the Democratic primary before withdrawing and endorsing Harris, Harris did not automatically become the Democratic presidential candidate. The Democratic Party will hold its convention from August 19 to 22 in Chicago, Illinois, to officially nominate its candidate. During the convention, 4,672 Democratic delegates will elect the nominee, and Biden secured the support of at least 3,896 delegates during the primary process. Delegates who had previously pledged support for Biden are now free to vote as they choose due to his withdrawal.
Starting Monday, Harris began reaching out to key figures in the Democratic Party to solicit their support. Democratic Congressman Gabe Amo from Rhode Island told Axios that he knew Harris was already in discussions with lawmakers and added that he had spoken with some of the lawmakers she had contacted.
Congressman Jared Huffman from California stated, “The Harris team is fully activated,” and “our California delegation is quickly uniting, and similar actions are likely happening in real-time elsewhere.” CNN reported, citing anonymous sources, that Harris plans to call about 200 people.
As of now, at least 27 of the 51 Democratic senators have publicly supported Harris, while at least 60 members of the House have declared their support.
However, some Democratic figures who previously called for Biden to withdraw have not endorsed Harris. Representative Lloyd Doggett (Texas) stated, “While Harris is a strong candidate with Biden’s support, the nomination should remain open to all talents.”
According to CNN, Harris was scheduled to campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a key battleground state, today and attend an event for Black female students in Indianapolis, Indiana, tomorrow. CNN reported that it remains unclear whether Harris will follow this schedule after Biden’s withdrawal.
